


Five Jars of Honey

by LoveChilde



Category: Mary Russell - Laurie R. King
Genre: Baking, Collection: Purimgifts Day 3, Community: purimgifts, Cooking, Disasters, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Honey, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Three things and one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-21
Updated: 2019-03-21
Packaged: 2019-11-27 03:08:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 799
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18188990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveChilde/pseuds/LoveChilde
Summary: Fives jars of honey, and how they were used and mis-used.





	Five Jars of Honey

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kalirush](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalirush/gifts).



> Happy third day! Art is a photo of the results my attempt at milk and honey biscuits. Mine came out a good deal better than Russell's, poor dear.   
> Recipe here: https://livingthegourmet.com/2017/01/milk-honey-biscuits.html

1\. Cookies

"I think I should like to bake some cookies. Is there any honey left from the last extraction?"

It takes Holmes a moment to process the words; he is reading, and deeply absorbed in an article about botany. He hears the question before realizing the danger, and answers "Several jars, I believe, but -" at that, he pauses, "Bake, Russell?"

"Yes, bake. It's almost Purim, I think make something we can give the neighbours would be nice." She replies blithely. Holmes suppresses a wince.

"I don't think I recall you ever trying to bake," he started carefully, "but you hardly need me to tell you that your talents - many and precious to me as they are - do not lie in the culinary realm."

She grins, "They really don't, I won't argue. But I'm not trying to poison the neighbours, really. It's an old and simple recipe for American biscuits, and maybe some gingerbread. If I follow the recipe exactly then hardly anything can go wrong. Baking is just chemistry, after all."

"That it is." There was no arguing with her on this, Holmes knows. "Do try not to burn down the kitchen?" 

She doesn't, but only just. The biscuits are charred lumps, and the gingerbread a soggy mess. The neighbours are given the remains of a large jar of honey, divided into smaller and very lovely jars.

Four jars of honey remain.

2\. Glaze

"Lamb baked in honey would be just the thing." Holmes muses, "Maybe with oranges? I've a longing for something from the Levant."

"And raisins perhaps?" Russell raises her head from a page full of notes, and hums in appreciation. "An excellent idea. Do you intend to cook it?"

"I suppose I could try..." Holmes is no great cook, but he knows there's less risk in him making it than in Russell giving it a try. "We do have a big cast iron pan, do we not?"

"I'll have to empty it of mechanical clock parts, but yes."

"Then by all means, let us try."

Lamb is acquired, as were raisins, dried apricots, cloves and rice. The heavy pan is emptied and scrubbed clean. Holmes pours most of a jar of honey into the dish. Then they seal the oven and wait.

No lamb is eaten that day. In fact, nothing is cooked at the Holmes and Russell household after that day other than toast, for quite a while after that, until they replace the oven and clear up the remains of the explosion.

Mrs. Hudson comes back from vacation two days later, and kindly says nothing about the incident.

Three jars of honey remain.

3\. Charity

"What happened to the jar of honey I left right here?" Holmes asks, seeing an empty counter when he returns home.

"Oh dear, you needed it?" Russell grimaces. "I donated it to the village school association. They're having some kind of raffle and bake sale for charity, and were sent around to collect donations for the raffle. I told them they'd best use the honey to make candy or cakes, rather than as a raffle prize. I'm sorry, I didn't know you needed it."

"I rather wanted to conduct some experiments...well, at least my honey won't be raffled off, and I don't object to charity...very well. There are a few more jars left, no matter."

In fact, after Holmes uses a jar of honey to conduct some very sticky experiments, there is only one jar left.

4\. Comfort

They are cold, hungry, sore and battered. Holmes is limping badly, Russell is sporting a strained shoulder and some bruises on her face that make Holmes' blood boil whenever he sees her, except that he knows that she walked away from the fight, while her assailant did not. That is small comfort.

They've been running around on a case in a whirlwind of activity for the better part of two weeks, with the lack of sleep and interruptions of regular meals that entails. Holmes had the presence of mine to acquire a fresh loaf of bread on the way, but-

"Cupboards are empty but for dust." Russell reports, dejected. "And potatoes that look decidedly green."

Holmes drops on the sofa heavily and mentally braces himself to plain bread for supper when Russell gives a crow of triumph.

"Found something!" She appears, bearing a jar of honey in her good hand and two spoons in the injured one. "We'll eat like kings tonight, Holmes."

"Kings of the hive, perhaps." But he cannot maintain a sour demeanor.

In his heart of hearts, in all truth, this is all they both need - bread, honey, and each other, well save for a few bumps. They need to more.

No honey remains, but the next extraction is only days away. Just in time. 

[](https://s1245.photobucket.com/user/Gills8/media/20190319_232833.jpg.html)


End file.
